Help for £16k benefit cheat

Gemma Louise Stewart from Billingham was overpaid £16,230 by the state after she claimed benefits wrongly stating she was living alone.

She said the couple’s debts were so great she could not afford to declare her partner was living with her and “the only way they could afford to live was by having these benefits”.

Her partner paid about £15,000 of his £41,000 debts until October last year when he had a disastrous work accident, leaving him unable to work with a seriously burned hand.

Her lawyer said she recently suffered fits, was prescribed medication and needed help. Her “catastrophic” situation arose from her having to live independently from the age of just 16.

Judge Peter Bowers said:

I’ve got to do what is right by you but I’ve equally got to send a message out to others who are tempted to carry out this kind of fraud. It’s very easy to commit, as you found out. I can’t overlook this.

I just hope you can get yourself some work and put this behind you.

He gave her a six-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months with supervision and 10 education, employment and training sessions.

As the Judge says, this fraud is very easy to commit. Come on in, the money's great.